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The Friendship Test
One late wine- and gossip-fueled night, four friends on a lark create a fateful test of friendship -- one that challenges the very principles and boundaries of their alliance. To pass it means to never, at any cost, betray one another. Twenty years later, they must face that ultimate test.
We meet them at the dawn of their camaraderie in the 1980s and already each woman is distinguished from the Tamsin, the compassionate mother hen; Reagan, the brazen and clever overachiever; Sarah, the seemingly perfect beauty; and Freddie, who despite being far from her U.S. home, finds strength in her friends. We forward to today, and as promised they are still firm friends...that is until a crisis occurs and the principles that define their friendship test are challenged. Exquisitely rendered by Elizabeth Noble, The Friendship Test is a powerful testament to the depth and capacity of female relationships.
We meet them at the dawn of their camaraderie in the 1980s and already each woman is distinguished from the Tamsin, the compassionate mother hen; Reagan, the brazen and clever overachiever; Sarah, the seemingly perfect beauty; and Freddie, who despite being far from her U.S. home, finds strength in her friends. We forward to today, and as promised they are still firm friends...that is until a crisis occurs and the principles that define their friendship test are challenged. Exquisitely rendered by Elizabeth Noble, The Friendship Test is a powerful testament to the depth and capacity of female relationships.
416 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2004
133 people are currently reading
1869 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Noble
63 books476 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
(1)literature & fiction
Elizabeth Noble is the author of several previous Sunday Times bestsellers: The Reading Group, which reached Number One, The Friendship Test (formerly published as The Tenko Club), Alphabet Weekends, Things I Want My Daughters to Know, The Girl Next Door, The Way We Were, Between a Mother and her Child and Love, Iris. Her last two books were also Richard & Judy Book Club selections. The Family Holiday is her ninth novel. She lives in Surrey.
Follow Elizabeth on Facebook and Instagram: @elizabethnoblebooks
(1)literature & fiction
Elizabeth Noble is the author of several previous Sunday Times bestsellers: The Reading Group, which reached Number One, The Friendship Test (formerly published as The Tenko Club), Alphabet Weekends, Things I Want My Daughters to Know, The Girl Next Door, The Way We Were, Between a Mother and her Child and Love, Iris. Her last two books were also Richard & Judy Book Club selections. The Family Holiday is her ninth novel. She lives in Surrey.
Follow Elizabeth on Facebook and Instagram: @elizabethnoblebooks
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews
October 6, 2025
#️⃣5️⃣4️⃣3️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🍩🧁
Date : 🗓️ Saturday, October 4, 2025 🎁💐🍝
Word Count📃: 89k Words 🎉🍬✨
— !! 𖦹「 ✦ 🍪 Happy Birthday🎂 ✦ 」✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩
My 18th read in "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!! :DDDD 👏🍭🍨" October.
4️⃣🌟, a little life: no depression/misery and people are actually healthy human beings edition.
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➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
This is probably one of the best chick lit fiction that I've ever read. It balances all the deal things that they talk about especially cheating and relationship problems but it tackles it in a way that is comedic and funny. It's pretty much like a fun read for times when friendships and connections may or may not be considered enough for you. This is a story about four friends and their different perspective on marriages and relationships. There are many times where the struggles of one is relatable to everyone else while there are some times where a friend can be isolated with their personal problem and everyone else is unable to give any meaningful and helpful advice. I would say that the best character arc in here is Reagan because of her isolation and striving to become extremely successful but in exchange for a lack of any human relationships. While Tamsin, Sarah & Freddie all have their marital problems (all three of them re married), Reagan while not being the actual main character, is what i think has the most unique story compared to everyone else's.
Date : 🗓️ Saturday, October 4, 2025 🎁💐🍝
Word Count📃: 89k Words 🎉🍬✨
— !! 𖦹「 ✦ 🍪 Happy Birthday🎂 ✦ 」✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩
My 18th read in "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!! :DDDD 👏🍭🍨" October.
4️⃣🌟, a little life: no depression/misery and people are actually healthy human beings edition.
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➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗
This is probably one of the best chick lit fiction that I've ever read. It balances all the deal things that they talk about especially cheating and relationship problems but it tackles it in a way that is comedic and funny. It's pretty much like a fun read for times when friendships and connections may or may not be considered enough for you. This is a story about four friends and their different perspective on marriages and relationships. There are many times where the struggles of one is relatable to everyone else while there are some times where a friend can be isolated with their personal problem and everyone else is unable to give any meaningful and helpful advice. I would say that the best character arc in here is Reagan because of her isolation and striving to become extremely successful but in exchange for a lack of any human relationships. While Tamsin, Sarah & Freddie all have their marital problems (all three of them re married), Reagan while not being the actual main character, is what i think has the most unique story compared to everyone else's.
December 1, 2007
No doubt that Noble can write! While she could easily succumb to the chick lit phenom and write half-baked, "Sex and the City"-type book. But instead, she gives real thought to the characters, their own backstories, and how they interact. The main three characters are complete, with issues and problems of their own.
The complaints I have are:
1. Things wrapped up a bit too neatly. I would have liked to see a little more change and friction instead of a "they all lived happily ever after" end.
2. Freddie is supposed to be American, but she uses turns of phrases that NO American would use. Same for some of the dialog when the story moves to Massachusetts. Noble should have had an American editor read through for these slips that really distracted me.
3. With all the talk about "The Friendship Test," I think they would have applied the test to all the women in the book they encountered -- including Rebecca and Grace. I was very interested to see how they stacked up.
Still, a great book that was a fun read.
The complaints I have are:
1. Things wrapped up a bit too neatly. I would have liked to see a little more change and friction instead of a "they all lived happily ever after" end.
2. Freddie is supposed to be American, but she uses turns of phrases that NO American would use. Same for some of the dialog when the story moves to Massachusetts. Noble should have had an American editor read through for these slips that really distracted me.
3. With all the talk about "The Friendship Test," I think they would have applied the test to all the women in the book they encountered -- including Rebecca and Grace. I was very interested to see how they stacked up.
Still, a great book that was a fun read.
January 1, 2014
I loved this book. It's exactly the sort of easy reading I enjoy.
To begin you're introduced to the four main characters of the story and the logic behind the title.
The rest of the book is spent enjoying these characters mature through life.
There's the one that's a bit of a moody git - Reagan, whose issues never get completely resolved.
Then there's the one that's cool but has issues - Freddie, whom we see mature and move into a settled phase in life; and finally my favourite, the stalwart of all chick lits (imho), the 'earth mother'. Friend to all, wise and caring, Tamsin.
I want to be that woman!
You'll have to read the book to discover what happens with the fourth character, Sarah. I daren't include too many spoilers!
Most of all though, I want to read a sequel... how do their lives and relationships continue to develop?
I loved this book. A fabulous post Christmas treat that had me laughing in places and then genuinely concerned for the characters in others.
I look forward to future reads by this author (especially a sequel!)
To begin you're introduced to the four main characters of the story and the logic behind the title.
The rest of the book is spent enjoying these characters mature through life.
There's the one that's a bit of a moody git - Reagan, whose issues never get completely resolved.
Then there's the one that's cool but has issues - Freddie, whom we see mature and move into a settled phase in life; and finally my favourite, the stalwart of all chick lits (imho), the 'earth mother'. Friend to all, wise and caring, Tamsin.
I want to be that woman!
You'll have to read the book to discover what happens with the fourth character, Sarah. I daren't include too many spoilers!
Most of all though, I want to read a sequel... how do their lives and relationships continue to develop?
I loved this book. A fabulous post Christmas treat that had me laughing in places and then genuinely concerned for the characters in others.
I look forward to future reads by this author (especially a sequel!)
January 6, 2021
Easy read about four women who meet at University and their lifelong friendship. They are all very different women but even 20 years later are still supporting each other through difficult times. Nothing very thought provoking in this book but a pleasant enough read. Fairly typical Elizabeth Noble book but not her best.
February 19, 2019
I picked this up at a book sale and did not like it, should have stopped reading part way through but the Cape Cod piece kept me going. Not recommended.
November 2, 2025
EINDELIJK KLAAR MET DIT BOEK.
WAT. EEN. BEVALLING.
Dit is het soort boek dat ik enkel en alleen op rustige vakanties kon lezen, op een vliegtuig zonder luide mensen, waar ik dus geen enkel andere afleiding zou hebben - want mijn aandacht erbij houden, heeft hij zeker niet gedaan.
Waarom ik dit boek niet heb laten liggen? Pure koppigheid. En een fractie hoop dat het misschien toch beter zou worden. Helaas.
Ik heb een sterk vermoeden dat de nederlandse vertaling van dit engelstalig boek een van de grote boosdoeners was. Letterlijke vertalingen van engelse gezegdes, foutieve metaforen en schrijffouten waren helaas niet het enige. Het boek springt van de ene naar de andere POV. Het verhoogde zo mijn telepathie. Bij het begin van dit boek duurde het 1 hele alinea voor ik door had over wie het ging. Op het einde, deed ik daar amper twee zinnen over - nieuw talent ontdekt.
De Tenko Club bestaat uit 4 vriendinnen (waarvan eentje al dood is bij het begin en daar zeer weinig over gesproken wordt). Buiten de dagelijkse levensthema's beslist de schrijfster om in een hoofdstuk een aantal personages over seksueel en emotioneel misbruik, pedofilie, depressie en andere zware traumas te laten doorgaan. In het volgende hoofdstuk is alles al uitgeklaard en in orde!
De personages geloven in een strevende feministische mentaliteit, maar de schrijfster werkt hen precies tegen. Ze maakt telkens onbegrijpelijke keuzes wat betreft het uitschrijven van bepaalde thema's. Het getuigd wel wat over de periode waarin dit boek geschreven is (2004). Blijkbaar nogal donkerder dan gedacht, wanneer men spreekt over de positie van de vrouw in de toenmalige maatschappij.
Buiten mijn frustraties, heb ik ook mezelf hierdoor beter leren kennen. Koppigheid (of doorzettingsvermogen?) zal ik nu sneller als adjectieven gebruiken bij het beschrijven van mijn persoonlijkheid.
Mijn kast wordt alvast een boek vrijer na vandaag.
WAT. EEN. BEVALLING.
Dit is het soort boek dat ik enkel en alleen op rustige vakanties kon lezen, op een vliegtuig zonder luide mensen, waar ik dus geen enkel andere afleiding zou hebben - want mijn aandacht erbij houden, heeft hij zeker niet gedaan.
Waarom ik dit boek niet heb laten liggen? Pure koppigheid. En een fractie hoop dat het misschien toch beter zou worden. Helaas.
Ik heb een sterk vermoeden dat de nederlandse vertaling van dit engelstalig boek een van de grote boosdoeners was. Letterlijke vertalingen van engelse gezegdes, foutieve metaforen en schrijffouten waren helaas niet het enige. Het boek springt van de ene naar de andere POV. Het verhoogde zo mijn telepathie. Bij het begin van dit boek duurde het 1 hele alinea voor ik door had over wie het ging. Op het einde, deed ik daar amper twee zinnen over - nieuw talent ontdekt.
De Tenko Club bestaat uit 4 vriendinnen (waarvan eentje al dood is bij het begin en daar zeer weinig over gesproken wordt). Buiten de dagelijkse levensthema's beslist de schrijfster om in een hoofdstuk een aantal personages over seksueel en emotioneel misbruik, pedofilie, depressie en andere zware traumas te laten doorgaan. In het volgende hoofdstuk is alles al uitgeklaard en in orde!
De personages geloven in een strevende feministische mentaliteit, maar de schrijfster werkt hen precies tegen. Ze maakt telkens onbegrijpelijke keuzes wat betreft het uitschrijven van bepaalde thema's. Het getuigd wel wat over de periode waarin dit boek geschreven is (2004). Blijkbaar nogal donkerder dan gedacht, wanneer men spreekt over de positie van de vrouw in de toenmalige maatschappij.
Buiten mijn frustraties, heb ik ook mezelf hierdoor beter leren kennen. Koppigheid (of doorzettingsvermogen?) zal ik nu sneller als adjectieven gebruiken bij het beschrijven van mijn persoonlijkheid.
Mijn kast wordt alvast een boek vrijer na vandaag.
Read
October 4, 2024guys... this was sitting on my bookshelf and i decided to try to read it. I should have known that i wouldn't have liked it since it has more 3 stars than anything.
I just was not a fan of the writing style and it was very boring. I will admit they introduced the characters very well and they seem like real people but their lives were not interesting enough for me to keep reading or to care. DNF on page 100
I just was not a fan of the writing style and it was very boring. I will admit they introduced the characters very well and they seem like real people but their lives were not interesting enough for me to keep reading or to care. DNF on page 100
May 7, 2020
A very strong 4. I quite got into it and was always anxious to read more. I wasn’t sure how I’d like the back and forth between England and the U.S., but that was seamless. Maybe a little too neat and tidy with some things, but I can let that go. The big things were my overall enjoyment and wish to keep reading, and both were high.
July 1, 2019
Really enjoyed this feel good book.
October 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It pulled me into it and made me feel that I was in the story.
July 8, 2023
This is a good summer read, but nothing exceptional. There is a lot of British references and slang that were foreign to me so some things were lost. But, nothing that mattered that much. There’s a lot going on in the relationships and everything seemed to get resolved much too neatly with still a lot of questions and unresolved issues.
June 10, 2011
Elizabeth Noble has come a long way in a short time, as a writer. I say that because, having read her later books first, this one does not stack up nearly as well. Had I read this book first, I probably would not have kept seeking out Noble's books.
The core of the book is about Freddie, who's stuck in an unhappy marriage to a selfish prick. Supposedly, the book is about a foursome's friendship through the years, but the bulk of the book focuses on Freddie finding love with a near and dear friend.
I had a really hard time keeping everyone apart in my mind. They all sounded the same in dialogue (and there are pages and pages of expositionary dialogue), and the perspectives shifted almost constantly, usually without warning. A passage would start out from Freddie's perspective, shift to Tamsin's, then wind up in Matt's head. It was discombobulating, which, while fun to say, is not a selling point in a novel.
Part of the book was set on Cape Cod, which I am resolved to not hold against Noble. I grew up on the Cape, you see, and I experienced a very different Cape Cod than what Noble writes about. But then, I experienced a very different Cape Cod from that of my current friends and neighbors here in upstate NY when they visit. Still, there were some details that struck me as rather odd. I enjoyed the book a lot more when I pretended the book was set in an alternative universe where Cape Cod has no wind in the fall, and no one walks the beaches at sunset.
On top of all that, the narrative was choppy and uneven, the romance too dramatic (and they hopped into bed together way too quick - I wanted more romantic tension), and the one character who most interested me is shuffled off to the side. I really, really wanted to get into Reagan's head, to explore what was missing in her life to make her so prickly and quick to lie to, then dismiss her lovers. I wanted there to be something she could find that was wanting, and patch that up. Instead, as near as I can tell, she fixes it with antidepressants. *sigh*
It's a decent enough story, and there's the framework of something really good here. You can see the beginning seeds of what I like about the later Noble books I've read.
So, if you read this and were disappointed, I would recommend picking up her later books. This is not the best book Noble has written; far from it. She's shown a vast improvement since this book came out.
The core of the book is about Freddie, who's stuck in an unhappy marriage to a selfish prick. Supposedly, the book is about a foursome's friendship through the years, but the bulk of the book focuses on Freddie finding love with a near and dear friend.
I had a really hard time keeping everyone apart in my mind. They all sounded the same in dialogue (and there are pages and pages of expositionary dialogue), and the perspectives shifted almost constantly, usually without warning. A passage would start out from Freddie's perspective, shift to Tamsin's, then wind up in Matt's head. It was discombobulating, which, while fun to say, is not a selling point in a novel.
Part of the book was set on Cape Cod, which I am resolved to not hold against Noble. I grew up on the Cape, you see, and I experienced a very different Cape Cod than what Noble writes about. But then, I experienced a very different Cape Cod from that of my current friends and neighbors here in upstate NY when they visit. Still, there were some details that struck me as rather odd. I enjoyed the book a lot more when I pretended the book was set in an alternative universe where Cape Cod has no wind in the fall, and no one walks the beaches at sunset.
On top of all that, the narrative was choppy and uneven, the romance too dramatic (and they hopped into bed together way too quick - I wanted more romantic tension), and the one character who most interested me is shuffled off to the side. I really, really wanted to get into Reagan's head, to explore what was missing in her life to make her so prickly and quick to lie to, then dismiss her lovers. I wanted there to be something she could find that was wanting, and patch that up. Instead, as near as I can tell, she fixes it with antidepressants. *sigh*
It's a decent enough story, and there's the framework of something really good here. You can see the beginning seeds of what I like about the later Noble books I've read.
So, if you read this and were disappointed, I would recommend picking up her later books. This is not the best book Noble has written; far from it. She's shown a vast improvement since this book came out.
May 10, 2010
Dear authors of England and surrounding parts:
When writing an American character, please note bloody, gobsmack, bugger, even brilliant are not used the same way in American lingo. Should an American start using those words in the British manner, said American's friends would immediately call him/her pretentious and mock him/her mercilessly, calling him/her Madonna/Gwenyth. And no one under 40 would use the term "bee's knees".
As to the story itself, not Noble's best work. I'd recommend The Reading Group over this one. The story in this book is disjointed, covering far too long a time frame, so that by the end I simply didn't care what happened to any of the characters, I just wanted the story to end. And oddly enough, for as long as this book was, the time in which certain events took place seemed ridiculously short (really Freddie and Matthew--you'd hook up and go straight into deciding it's okay to have a baby in less than a month?!).
If you like Noble or looking for a beach read, this may be okay to pick up. I would recommend getting it at the library though. Spend your money on better works, like my favorite Noble book, Things I Want My Daughters to Know.
When writing an American character, please note bloody, gobsmack, bugger, even brilliant are not used the same way in American lingo. Should an American start using those words in the British manner, said American's friends would immediately call him/her pretentious and mock him/her mercilessly, calling him/her Madonna/Gwenyth. And no one under 40 would use the term "bee's knees".
As to the story itself, not Noble's best work. I'd recommend The Reading Group over this one. The story in this book is disjointed, covering far too long a time frame, so that by the end I simply didn't care what happened to any of the characters, I just wanted the story to end. And oddly enough, for as long as this book was, the time in which certain events took place seemed ridiculously short (really Freddie and Matthew--you'd hook up and go straight into deciding it's okay to have a baby in less than a month?!).
If you like Noble or looking for a beach read, this may be okay to pick up. I would recommend getting it at the library though. Spend your money on better works, like my favorite Noble book, Things I Want My Daughters to Know.
January 10, 2009
In the same afternoon Freddie finds out her husband is planning on leaving her, she is informed that her father just died, and she just had to dropper her son off at boarding school (a place he and she both hate, but her husband insists on). The book then follows how Freddie deals with all of this over the next few months and the discovery of other family secrets with the friends of her closest friends is what the book is around. The Girls in the book Tamsin, Freddie, Reagan, and Sarah, a close group since college they are very connect in their lives, or at least as close as Reagan will let anyone get. The book moves back and forth between America and England and characters every few chapters and paragraphs at times, the book still keeps a good steady even flow.
I read The Reading Group by this author before I read this one and if I remember it right I don't know why I read this one. That one was so so. This one was quite a bit better. Though I did with the last one and I though I would when I started this one I didn't have trouble keeping the characters straight. Though the story wasn't deep it was an enjoyable read, another if you don't want to think good thing to read.
I read The Reading Group by this author before I read this one and if I remember it right I don't know why I read this one. That one was so so. This one was quite a bit better. Though I did with the last one and I though I would when I started this one I didn't have trouble keeping the characters straight. Though the story wasn't deep it was an enjoyable read, another if you don't want to think good thing to read.
June 10, 2024
Cute book about growing up but not completely what I expected. Focuses on a group of girls after they meet at university and then later on in life. I would have liked a more in-depth description of their lives coming out of uni rather than making a huge time jump. Also I thought it would go between the characters more rather than just focusing on one which almost made them into side characters despite the title being about the characters in the “club”. Was a very easy read but would have preferred a bit more depth
January 28, 2009
More than chick lit and less than literature, poorly edited, lame storyline, lots of characters - so why did I read all 400 plus pages? Somehow it drew me in and it was a quick, easy read. It's the story of 4 women who become friends in college, 3 go on to get married and one dies unexpectedly. The other 3 remain close despite the many ups and downs of friendships. Reagan, is smart, educated and flighty - seems to be fighting with herself all the time; Tamsin is the mother hen, lots of kids, a good marriage and very good advice, Freddie is the main character, she learns early on of her father's death, and learns too late that he has taken many questions to the grave and that her unresolved issues with him will never be resolved.
That aspect of the book resonated with me, but I found it treated superficially. Not that I expected more, Nobel is not a Stegner or a Steinbeck, but I still found the book lacking in that respect.
That aspect of the book resonated with me, but I found it treated superficially. Not that I expected more, Nobel is not a Stegner or a Steinbeck, but I still found the book lacking in that respect.
May 14, 2021
I got a copy as a gift from one of my close friends when I turned thirteen . Definitely not my type, but I was so touched that they thought of me and went like - You know what, my friend loves reading more than anything in this world, so why not give her a book this year. Needless to say, I loved the book. It's been years, so I don't remember much about it, but I know I loved it. It was different from the usual stuffs I read and I think I really needed something slow and comforting that time.
March 31, 2009
The Friendship Test is a little longer than the average chick-lit novel and there is a little more depth to the book. About four college friends and their lives 15 years after college, Noble writes interesting female characters and the men surrounding them. There are a few too many issues and it does go on a little too long for this ADD reader...but it's a quick read, even at 400+ pages.
Great for a plane, a beach or a pool!
Great for a plane, a beach or a pool!
August 13, 2010
This was the second Elizabeth Noble book i have read, as I wanted to see if it was better than the previous one I had tried, but I just don't think her characters (especially the men) are believeable. The dialogue is all a bit like a Friends/Cold feet episode and grated on me after a while.
August 4, 2018
I didn't expect to enjoy this novel as much as I did. But I did!
April 17, 2022
Gave up after about 30 pages in. It was going nowhere and I didn't want to waste anymore time than I already did.
March 7, 2019
4 out of 5 stars
This is one of those books where the ending has actually rescued it and stopped it from being 3 and half stars. Friendship is the heart of the story which I did really love. Four friends met at college and stayed friends. 20 years later those very different ladies have stayed close but when tragedy plays its hand they have to remember how important friendship is.
To me the story wasn’t really about that friendship in general but about one of the girls Freddie. I thought the other ladies stories could have been developed more to give it a better grounding. I did think Freddie was a good leading lady and I loved Matthew it just wasn’t enough for me. I could pick this up and put it down too easily which meant it wasn’t gripping enough. However like I said the ending was amazing and there were no loose ends which I loved.
This is one of those books where the ending has actually rescued it and stopped it from being 3 and half stars. Friendship is the heart of the story which I did really love. Four friends met at college and stayed friends. 20 years later those very different ladies have stayed close but when tragedy plays its hand they have to remember how important friendship is.
To me the story wasn’t really about that friendship in general but about one of the girls Freddie. I thought the other ladies stories could have been developed more to give it a better grounding. I did think Freddie was a good leading lady and I loved Matthew it just wasn’t enough for me. I could pick this up and put it down too easily which meant it wasn’t gripping enough. However like I said the ending was amazing and there were no loose ends which I loved.
April 22, 2022
Good book for what it is. Not the best book I've ever read, but it helped me get into reading again... This is the first book I read in 2022!
I'm a bit jealous of the friendships described. I had close friends in high school, but we've all drifted apart and now we're friends on Facebook but don't often meet.
The mother/child relationships speak to me. I've raised a 21 year old and now raising 3 kids under 5. I also have lost my own mom after an estrangement period, and my partner recently gained her mother back after an estrangement of her own.
The descriptions of gay people are dated and Matthew's reaction to being near a gay man for 5 minutes is painful to read. But it tracks for a mainstream book published in 2004.
I did enjoy the way the author fluidly goes from one character's stream of consciousness to the next. That's hard to do well, and I think it worked.
I'm a bit jealous of the friendships described. I had close friends in high school, but we've all drifted apart and now we're friends on Facebook but don't often meet.
The mother/child relationships speak to me. I've raised a 21 year old and now raising 3 kids under 5. I also have lost my own mom after an estrangement period, and my partner recently gained her mother back after an estrangement of her own.
The descriptions of gay people are dated and Matthew's reaction to being near a gay man for 5 minutes is painful to read. But it tracks for a mainstream book published in 2004.
I did enjoy the way the author fluidly goes from one character's stream of consciousness to the next. That's hard to do well, and I think it worked.
May 16, 2022
I liked the story-telling and how the author was really able to set the main characters apart from each other. The flashbacks and the different settings of the story did not confuse me while reading.
However, although I would admit that the part where Freddie's father fell in love with her mother's mother first before they met was kind of shocking a plot twist to me, the other plot lines were sort of already a cliché to me. I don't know if this is because this was published way way back or even way way back this can already be considered cliché. But at present, I stand by my rating.
Overall, it was a page-turner and a light read and I felt it still deserved 4 stars as I was still able to finish it easily, without having to force myself. I am planning to read The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble as well once I get myself a copy.
However, although I would admit that the part where Freddie's father fell in love with her mother's mother first before they met was kind of shocking a plot twist to me, the other plot lines were sort of already a cliché to me. I don't know if this is because this was published way way back or even way way back this can already be considered cliché. But at present, I stand by my rating.
Overall, it was a page-turner and a light read and I felt it still deserved 4 stars as I was still able to finish it easily, without having to force myself. I am planning to read The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble as well once I get myself a copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2018
Neither a great read nor a terrible one, The Friendship Test takes the reader into a group of thirty-something people who have been close friends since university days, presenting relationships and self-doubts that are mostly on target. One couple is facing a likely divorce, another is having their fourth baby, one woman is not yet married, and one has died, but her husband continues his membership in the friendship without her. Every one of the major characters is gobsmacked by some event or epiphany that forces a deep assessment of what she (or he) really wants out of life and gauges how much effort she is willing to exert to get satisfaction. I picked this up at a used book sale for 50 cents and enjoyed it, but plan to recycle the book.
August 18, 2021
Goodreads can we have “gave up/abandoned” option please along with the “Read” option. Only gave it 1 star as can’t leave zero stars! I think it started promising enough then another name appears and then another. Gave up after a few pages. Where is the story? It’s not gripping. I’d only given up on on her other book “The Reading Group” as absolutely nothing going on and this was on the book shelf and I thought try this?
I’m not sure but - does any one know? - did she write this and The Reading Group before the publication of The Jane Austin Book Club? (can’t recall author and only seen film of that). If it WAS AFTER then is she trying to “copy” that type of book? and I don’t mean plagiarise it completely but just use a similar idea.
I’m not sure but - does any one know? - did she write this and The Reading Group before the publication of The Jane Austin Book Club? (can’t recall author and only seen film of that). If it WAS AFTER then is she trying to “copy” that type of book? and I don’t mean plagiarise it completely but just use a similar idea.
September 13, 2020
I really liked the idea of this story, friends growing up together and facing the trials and tribulations of life, relationships, careers and mental health but I just didnt think it was very well written which surprised me as I have read 2 other novels by the same author which I loved. This just didn't flow and felt hashed in many places. Bits didn't make sense and I had to go back and re-read to make sure it wasn't just me that was getting confused. It took me a while to get into it and the 2nd half held my attention a lot better than the 1st but I think if this was the first time I read something by Elizabeth I wouldn't have rushed out to read anything else.
January 28, 2023
This was a wonderful book that pulled me in right away. As I was reading this, I felt like it was the grown-up version of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." This was fun and I loved how the different relationships among the four women changed and grew throughout the years. This was a great reminder of why women need their girlfriends to help get through the bad and the good times.
Quote I liked:
"The speaker had given an analogy for marriage...a point where two river converged. At the place they met you could still see their two distinct colors, and after they merged, the colors stayed separate until, further up, they became a new color." (p. 269)
Quote I liked:
"The speaker had given an analogy for marriage...a point where two river converged. At the place they met you could still see their two distinct colors, and after they merged, the colors stayed separate until, further up, they became a new color." (p. 269)
July 8, 2020
Empecé con este libro casi por casualidad y ha sido un grandísimo descubrimiento.
La autora me ha conquistado con la historia de estas 4 amigas, sus idas y venidas, sus alegrías y sus penas, amores y desamores y, sobretodo, su amistad.
Se lee casi del tirón, prácticamente me enganché desde la primera palabra y ha sido una lectura deliciosa, ya están en mi lista de pendientes el resto de libros de Elizabeth
La autora me ha conquistado con la historia de estas 4 amigas, sus idas y venidas, sus alegrías y sus penas, amores y desamores y, sobretodo, su amistad.
Se lee casi del tirón, prácticamente me enganché desde la primera palabra y ha sido una lectura deliciosa, ya están en mi lista de pendientes el resto de libros de Elizabeth
October 17, 2021
This could’ve had four stars for readability because it’s fun and captivating but I resist giving lightweight books much more than three stars on principle, since it’s a mostly forgettable plot and characters aren’t particularly deep. That said, it’s the proverbial great beach read, a story of a quartet of women who met and connected in college and how, years later, their lives and friendships change. Simple and enjoyable.
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